Jodi Arias Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder of Lover, Seeks Death Penalty

The Jodi Arias case has finally come to an end with a verdict of guilty handed down by the jurors. In a particularly gruesome case of domestic violence, this lady murdered her lover by stabbing him many times over, shooting him and slitting his throat (not necessarily in that order). When the case was initially prosecuted, the young lady pleaded self defense though she kept vacillating in her retelling of events. Happily, the jury was able to come to what seems like an obvious conclusion. You DO NOT STAB someone 27 times, slit their throat and shoot them in the head to DEFEND yourself. The degree of passion exhibited, to me, seems pretty telling of the fact that this was plainly a crime of passion for which she will be getting her just desserts soon.

Arias admitted to killing Travis Alexander during the salacious and sensational months-long Arizona murder trial. Now jurors find her guilty and she faces life in prison or a death sentence. She later said in an interview with Fox 10 News that ‘death is the ultimate freedom.’

ROB SCHUMACHER/THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC/AP

Jodi Arias looks at her family after being found of guilty of first-degree murder in the gruesome killing her one-time boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in their suburban Phoenix home.

The pretty 32-year-old, convicted of first-degree murder Wednesday for the gruesome slaying of her former lover, said in a post-verdict interview that she prefers death to life behind bars.

APTN/AP

Jodi Arias reacts as the verdict is read aloud.

“The worst outcome for me would be natural life,” Arias told Phoenix’s Fox 10. “I would rather die much sooner than later. Longevity runs in the family, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my natural life in one place.”

Crime-scene evidence from the home where Travis Alexander was found murdered in 2008 — he had injuries that included a gunshot wound, a slit throat, and 27 stab wounds.

“I believe death is the ultimate freedom,” added Arias, who has been placed on suicide watch, according to authorities. “So I’d rather have my freedom as soon as I can get it.”

It took an Arizona jury just 15 hours to reach a unanimous verdict after a four-month trial — and Arias now faces a death sentence or life in prison.

DAVID WALLACE/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Defendant Jodi Arias waited while the jury took 15 hours to determine her fate.

Her conviction came nearly five years after the now-infamous Arias told “Inside Edition,” “No jury is going to convict me …. You can mark my words on that.” Arias initially denied killing her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in June 2008, and at one point the waitress and aspiring photographer blamed masked intruders.

But about two years after his death, she confessed to the grisly crime, claiming she was defending herself from Alexander when she shot him in the head. The body of the 30-year-old salesman and motivational speaker was also found with 27 stab wounds and a slit throat.

“I feel relief,” sobbed Julie Haslem, a close friend of the Alexander family. When asked about Arias receiving the death penalty, Haslem pulled no punches: “I hope so.”

The courtroom drama capped a sensational and salacious trial that outraged and titillated observers with lurid details of sexual romps and the brutal murder, becoming cable TV and tabloid fodder.

The streets leading to the Phoenix courthouse were packed with TV crews, media trucks, reporters and onlookers Wednesday, including some who chanted, “Justice for Travis!” When the verdict came through, people outside chanted, “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”

JODI ARIAS VIA MYSPACE

Arias, 32, admitted to killing Alexander, 30, in June of 2008

“I just want to make sure the justice system works,” said Margaret Fernandez, 68. “I’m a mother; I have a son.”

The same jury will reconvene Thursday to weigh potential aggravating factors. Depending on what it decides, either the jury or a judge will determine whether Arias will be executed.

In addition, she will face a wrongful-death lawsuit on behalf of Alexander’s siblings, their attorney said.

Arias told Fox 10 on Wednesday that she hopes the conviction helps Alexander’s family “find peace.”

“We look forward to the next phase of the proceedings, where the state will present evidence to prove the murder was committed in an especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner,“ Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said in a statement. In a move regarded as somewhat unusual for murder cases, Arias testified for 18 days. She fielded more than 200 questions from jurors about whether her crime was premeditated or an act of passion by a woman who suffered in a mentally and physically abusive relationship.

Prosecutors said Arias murdered Alexander in a jealous rage because he wanted to end their affair and take a trip to Mexico with another woman.

ROB SCHUMACHER/AP

Alexander’s body was discovered in the shower of his Mesa, Ariz., home. During her testimony, Arias said she did not remember stabbing her ex and told the jury she shot him by accident after he slammed her to the floor.

The jury of eight men and four women heard graphic phone-sex conversations between Arias and Alexander that included violent sadomasochistic fantasies.

Arias seemed confused as the verdict was read and licked her lips while her eyes appeared to well up with tears.